Comments on Artificially Sweetened: Here's your opportunity to run off at the mouth

Buy "The Baby Book" by Sears and Sears (husband an...

2006-11-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

Buy "The Baby Book" by Sears and Sears (husband and wife...pediatrician and nurse) It's EXCELLENT.

You're correct to stay away from ANY KIND OF "What To Expect" books.

Also, I LOVE Huggies diapers. I've used them several times a day for 6 years straight and I'd never recommend a different diaper.

Penelope Leach, Penelope Leach! She's my hero. S...

2006-11-26T19:07:00.000-05:00

Penelope Leach, Penelope Leach! She's my hero.

Six months? Hmmmm. That was when I started purging a lot of things and taking it to the consignment store. I'm trying to think of what you must have for an older baby, but coming up short. Our son doesn't necessarily like to play with toys--he likes real things. He's a little over a year now and really into blocks.

Get a

I can't add to what everyone else said, but congra...

2006-11-23T17:28:00.000-05:00

I can't add to what everyone else said, but congrats and Happy Thanksgiving!

I second (or fifth) the Ergo. I actually have one...

2006-11-23T11:12:00.000-05:00

I second (or fifth) the Ergo. I actually have one I can send you if you'd like...Alexander prefers to walk everywhere now and I'd like to send it off to someone who'd get use out of it.

Having been trapped in a hotel room with a 5 pound...

2006-11-23T00:28:00.000-05:00

Having been trapped in a hotel room with a 5 pound baby I can tell you that the book that saved our lives was The Happiest Baby on the Block! While you can say that its mostly geared to newborns, I say the info in that book is helpful at a variety of stages of infancy. As for the 'stuff' bible -- Baby Bargains http://www.windsorpeak.com/babybargains/default.html
is brilliant!! It pretty

One last thing...if you want to wait on the Ergo a...

2006-11-22T22:14:00.000-05:00

One last thing...if you want to wait on the Ergo and try him in it when he gets home, we have one and still use it for Katie (she loves being carried in it by Cheryl at almost 4 years old) definately a most excellent buy! But you can try ours and see if you like it before you sink $92 bucks into something.

Ooops....I forgot to add that I have a baby monito...

2006-11-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

Ooops....I forgot to add that I have a baby monitor with 2 receivers if you want them!

I have Dr. Sears baby book here if you want it? L...

2006-11-22T22:06:00.000-05:00

I have Dr. Sears baby book here if you want it? Let me know and I will put it aside for you. It's very AP. I also have Katie's sling that I am ready to give up. It's a mesh water sling and I love it. It's like a rite of passage to pass it on if you want it!

My boy is 6 months old now & here is some of the s...

2006-11-22T20:50:00.000-05:00

My boy is 6 months old now & here is some of the stuff I am using every day...

Changing Table - try to get it at the right height so you don't strain your back. Diapers (duh), clothes - fun fun fun - Laundry basket for baby clothes, spit up rags, changing table covers, sheets, bibs and all my clothes that get pucked on. Some type of scent free laundry detergent.

To put the baby

When my son was 6 months old, I wished Baby Orajel...

2006-11-22T17:51:00.000-05:00

When my son was 6 months old, I wished Baby Orajel came in vats. The nighttime kind is stronger.

The Tylenol and ibuprofen are important to have on hand, too, and not just for teething. When our little guy had a very high fever, we ran him to the ER in the middle of the night, and all they did was give him a dose of Tylenol. They instructed us to alternate Tylenol and ibuprofen. Of

Congratulations again on expecting your son! I'm ...

2006-11-21T16:01:00.000-05:00

Congratulations again on expecting your son!

I'm a bit of an oddball, but I think high chairs are a waste of money. Booster seats work just as well, and they're cheap and portable. Here are some things that I find helpful with the kiddos at work:

--TONS of receiving blankets--you can't have too many
--tons of bibs, both the lined kind and those soft molded kind for when

2 dozen cloth diapers, either chinese prefolds or ...

2006-11-21T13:50:00.000-05:00

2 dozen cloth diapers, either chinese prefolds or unfolded, for cleaning up spitup, wiping anything that needs wiping (baby, mommy, or gear), tucking next to a sleeping head in a carseat, and many many many other unexpected uses.

And what everyone else said about the Ergo, I hope, since I just asked for one for my birthday. Your baby will be too big for a bjorn to be comfortable.

Fuzzi BunzBritax BoulevardVaccine ResearchIrration...

2006-11-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

Fuzzi Bunz
Britax Boulevard
Vaccine Research
Irrational hatred for all things made by Cosco and most made by Evenflo and Graco
Fancy happy stroller
Basic knowledge of eBay
Camera on hand all. the. time.
8 oz microwave safe cup on hand at all times to catch your melting heart.

I think the What to Exp. book is fine. You have to...

2006-11-21T08:39:00.000-05:00

I think the What to Exp. book is fine. You have to take everything with a grain of salt. I use it as mostly a reference, looking things up in the index. The beginnings of the chapters sort of lay out the general milestones that babies might experience each month. Even though my boys were preemies and have been late on everything, it still gave me a reference point. I think attachment parents

You don't actually need much for an infant, which ...

2006-11-20T21:08:00.000-05:00

You don't actually need much for an infant, which is to say, as long as you have some clothes, diapers, and cloths for mopping up spit up and whatnot, and a place for the baby to sleep, and food, you'll all be fine. You can figure out the gear as you go along.

That said, we loved, loved, loved our sling. Having an easy way to carry the baby was wonderful.

A good medical

I'm in the "hate the 'What to Expect books'" camp,...

2006-11-20T14:44:00.000-05:00

I'm in the "hate the 'What to Expect books'" camp, but I don't have a suggestion for a good substitute.

My number-one essential: baby quilts, believe it or not. I always had my son in the same room with me, generally camped out on a quilt on the floor. Handy, cheap and washable, and it let him see everything around him (and me see him) without him feeling constricted or fenced in. I

Get a Britax car seat, a covertible one that's goo...

2006-11-20T14:11:00.000-05:00

Get a Britax car seat, a covertible one that's good up to 60 lbs or so. They're expensive, but worth it.

I have an extra hotsling, if you're interested in trying that. I'd be happy to send it to you once GB gets home. I love mine. You can check out the website (www.hotsling.com) to see if it's something you're interested in using.

I have a Combi City Stroller that I love,

get an ergo.life saver.SO worth the 92 bucks.6 mon...

2006-11-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

get an ergo.

life saver.

SO worth the 92 bucks.

6 months, huh? Earth's best baby food, formula, diapers, diaper cream, TYLENOL, IBUPROFIN, Baby fingernail clippers, dipaer bag, baby wipes, did I mention teh TYLENOL and IBUPROFIN. Because um, in case I didnt - get TYLENOL and IBUPROFIN. :)

When they wake up randomly at 2am, and you,just.can't.figure.out.why?

Ditto what third mom said about the paperwork. Ki...

2006-11-20T13:26:00.000-05:00

Ditto what third mom said about the paperwork. Kids seem to generate a ton of it, way more than I would have expected. We bought a really cute 'baby's file folder' kind of thing at a super shi-shi baby store. It cost way too much ($30) but has pockets for everything. All her paperwork's in one place. Our tax records? Missing. But Val's stuff is together.

Books are hard to suggest

Figure out a good system to keep all the paper you...

2006-11-20T12:59:00.000-05:00

Figure out a good system to keep all the paper you'll be collecting from doctors - immunization records, etc. Also a permanent way to capture "firsts" - word, steps, etc. I was less than organized and 17 years later can't find everything. And it's important - our school district just put out a hep B pronouncement for which I had to show proof that our senior had had the entire battery of shots

What do you really need? What do you really need? ...

2006-11-20T12:37:00.000-05:00

What do you really need? What do you really need? You really need a diaper bag that will hold everything you might possibly take with you and baby that doesn’t look, well, stupid. Unless, having a gawdy diaper bag is totally cool with you. I have this great big and plastic pink and white thing that I STILL use for outings. Obviously, I’m not so cool. I’d say you need diapers and wipes, but

Ix-nay on What to Expect - it can make you nuts. W...

2006-11-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

Ix-nay on What to Expect - it can make you nuts. We like Sears and Sears, since it's a little crunchier (and does include info on things like baby-wearing and adoptive breastfeeding), though it still needs a healthy handful of salt. And definitely yes on the Ergo, it's worth the splurge (about $90 but then you won't need any others). If he's under 7 months when he comes home, a Bumbo seat is not

www.babycenter.com has a pretty good article with ...

2006-11-20T10:32:00.000-05:00

www.babycenter.com has a pretty good article with a nice, manageable list of things you need so i recommend looking at that

I hear good things about Sears (the author)

And there's a book about baby bargains in other words, what's essential and how to get it without getting sucked into the Baby marketing industry

http://www.amazon.com/

I hated all books. They only seemed to be telling...

2006-11-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

I hated all books. They only seemed to be telling me everything I was doing wrong. I went with my gut for just about everything and the Ped's are no more then a phone call away for that weird rash that will inevitably show up at 7am on a Sat.

We're ditching the highchair for when/if they next one comes. I like booster seats better and A eats better when she's at the table with us.

There are lots of choices and they really depend o...

2006-11-20T09:55:00.000-05:00

There are lots of choices and they really depend on your family and your preferences. That said, I will recommend the following:

1) Ergo - if he's starting out over 9 lbs., he's gonna be a goodly size when he comes home to you, and your back will love you if you get an Ergo. Pricey, but worth it. He'll be WAY too big for you to be happy carrying him in a Bjorn.
2) I would also